The Aethereal Order
by William Garner
Summary: Carter Huxley has been suddenly thrown into the world of Maximum Ride, a world he had only read about in books. What will become of him as he takes on this new and very dangerous reality? He is now the author of his own exciting adventure.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to the Maximum Ride franchise, nor the creations of James Patterson.**

**This is my first Maximum Ride fic, hope you like it! Please read and review, tell what I should do more of and what I should axe. Thanks!**

**_The Aethereal Order_**

_Prologue_

_by William Garner_

Carter Huxley had been reading the same series for quite some time now. Maximum Ride was strangely captivating to him.

Strangely.

Captivating.

He normally never read books, especially ones without pictures. This one however, was interesting enough to hold his attention. Of course he had to read for his Lit class at school, but he read the first one and just...

...kept going. Sometimes it seems as though the books were pulling him in. That his drive everyday was to get home and read.

Though he could control it at first it soon accelerated... growing to the point where he would sit in class all today and fantasize about his life beyond the page. He'd do anything to become apart of what the great James Patterson had created. He had dreams that when he saw six, winged figures in the sky he called out to them, because surely it was Max.

Of course this was crazy.

Right?

Well.

Carter's dreams, he would come to find out, weren't far from his grasp. Close enough in fact his fate would be intertwined in fantasy...

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**First Chapter coming soon, this was just a taste. Hope you liked it! Comments and critiques are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own only Carter, and subsequent characters I designate as mine. James Patterson owns everything else. These events take place after Maximum Ride: The Final Warning.**

**_Chapter 1_**

_Divine Intervention_

The sign read:

ATTENTION!

QUARANTINED AREA NEXT HALF MILE.

ATENCIÓN

ÁREA DE CUARENTENA, A MEDIA MILLA AL LADO

Well what if you couldn't read English or Spanish." I thought perturbed.

I nimbly hopped over the yellow police tape and continued on my way home.

Passing through the street of the deserted, sanctioned off part of the city, I strolled unnoticed by technicians and Radiologists. A little radiation poisoning here, methane leaks there, it was all quite stupid I thought. What was life without a little adventure?

"Dead. Anything without meaning is better off dead." I believed with my whole being. That was why I continually lost myself to books. Maximum Ride in particular.

Gazing at the sky, the same fantasy grazed my mind everyday at about this time, when I was all alone. If I could be so quickly thrust into another world would be so unreal, but I hoped for it even more so.

As I passed the familiar dark alley between Dawson and Crooks I shuddered. The buildings here reached high enough to not let light pass into the narrow back street.

It was dark as pitch and especially uninviting now that the quarantine had begun. Suddenly, without obvious reason, I stopped walking, craned my neck to see the top of the large building to my right.

The simple action may have changed my life forever.

I immediately spotted six figures in a tight "V" formation, sloping easily through the air. My heart rate steadily inclined to beating loudly in my ears.

I had pictured this moment thousands of times, but even I new better then to think that it could possibly be...

that this could be anyone other than...

But I had to try. No one was around so it wasn't like it was a big deal.

I built up the needed courage as the window of opportunity slowly slipped away.

"MAX!" I cried. If it was her, she'd having no trouble hearing it.

"FANG!"

And just in case she thought it was only the wind,

"MAXIMUM RIDE!"

The flock of birds wavered a bit but eventually made there way out of view.

A little disappointed I kept walking. What did I expect anyway? Her personality alone wouldn't allow her to associate herself with anyone outside of the flock.

I passed yet another dark alley, back to my boring, uninteresting li-

"Hmph!"The air rush from my lungs when some unrecognizable thing plowed into me at full speed, sending me flying to the brick wall of the alley. I slammed with back breaking force into the side of the alley and fell down hard, clinging to a dumpster for support.

"WHO are YOU and HOW do you know our names!"

I was in a daze, heaving, trying to replensh the oxygen in my lungs, while now fighting the excruciating pain drilled into my back. But knew that same thing that hit me was now holding me by my collar against the brick wall.

"I-I eh." I stuttered.

"Who are you and how do you know us!" The thing commanded.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the alley, I recognized the thing to be a dark skinned boy, with eyes as dark as his skin, though I still couldn't make out any features in the darkness of the alley. He was holding me aloft with ease.

"Answer him!" Came another, more willful voice from behind the boy.

My eyes focusing to the sitution, I realized the boy was not alone, I couldn't think fast enough to answer the boy. Who, through his impatience, lifted me off my feet and tossed me against another wall.

"You heard what she said! Now, HOW!"

I looked up into the boys eyes, immediately transfixed. The eyes were dark and cold, Black as the alley itself. But I couldn't suffer another blow, I could already feel the searing pain of one or two broken ribs.

"I-I-" quickly scraping up an excuse other than I read it in a book. Not willing to admit that to anybody. "I don't know, i just recognize-"

"Can it!" The boy said sitting down on his haunches to see eye level with me. "You and I both know that's a lie. The truth. NOW!"

"OK, ok." Now realizing the full extent of the situation. I took a shuttered breath, analyzing and organizing the situation, if these were the people I thought they were, they would know: "I read your bios on the Institute for Higher Living's mainframe network."

I flinched, expecting to be hit.

"Now _that_ I can believe." The boy stood up. "but that still doesn't answer the first question."

I thought my next course of action through. My answer could write the next page in a very new, very unbelievable world of fantasy I was just dumped into. If these were the people I never thought conceivable into this world, I was now my own author of my own story. I new what I wanted to be.

"The name's Carter. And who I am is kind of complicated," I managed, "The memories start at the age of three. In a four foot by three foot animal crate. In the basement of damnable place in southern Nevada." I finished, grinding my teeth as memories flooded my persona. Memories that were totally alien yet getting more and more familiar as they came in a torrent of new ideas, places, thoughts, and experiences. I was becoming what I had spoken of, living fourteen years of a different life in approximately thirteen seconds.

"The School." Someone mumbled behind the boy, who was now unmistakably the notorious Fang.

"I was released three years ago with two others as things started to break down. Thanks to you guys."

Someone pushed past Fang and helped me to my feet. "Then you're one of us." The girl said.

"Now wait." Fang argued, "you and I both know not to go around making assumptions like that!"

"How would anyone else know that, Fang. The conditions there..." She trailed off, "they were unmentionable. And the whitecoats had no idea. But I do see your point. Angel? Honey, search his mind if you would. Please."

A young girl stepped forward, about seven. Golden curls of hair wisked around her. "With pleasure Max."

Immediately I could feel a presence in my mind, searching, scouring through every detail of a life unlived. Not being able to reach the life I left behind, which was now fading into oblivion, never having existed.

The rogue being sifted through my emotions, abilities, and experiences, authenticating them all. Disappointed, the presence began to withdraw from my mind.

"I resent that." I spat. The girl, Angel, ignored me and retreated behind Max.

"He certainly lived, or survived, at the School, but I couldn't find anything that would suggest him dealing with any of our enemies."

Max looked at Fang with the I-told-you-so expression, then returned her gaze to me.

"But," Angel continued, "He didn't seem to have any abilities, he was much the same as a normal human."

I hadn't spoken of any avian DNA being grafted into mine. So it hadn't come true. I didn't know what it would do but I knew I had been waiting for this my entire life.

"But I do," I blurted out quickly. They all turned to me. "You know how they grafted you all with a two percent surrogate of avian DNA? Well I was grafted with three percent."

My mind snapped shut. Blank slate. All I knew was replaced by unfathomable pain, as my body began to mutate, change. What was supposed to happen in the womb was happening now. My vision went blurred then turned around and became super sharp, raptor like, as a tapetum slowly began to form in my retina. My bones began to hallow out, becoming less dense but superiorly strong. My muscles suddenly became very, exhaustingly tired and sore as they augmented themselves with the new found DNA blueprint.

Finally the anguish shifted to my back. Which shuddered and buckled uncontrollably as my shoulder blades elongated and arched. Super strong muscle tissue wrapped its way along the bone. My lower back curved to accomodate two more extremities. Knew growth of down feathers soon appeared along with small stabalizing feathers.

The pain tore at my mind. Holding back a scream, all of a sudden:

Blackout.

The Flock stood there, dumbfounded, wanting to know what to do, while unable to put thoughts to action.

In haze, bright colors flashed, dancing behind my eyelids. Shifting, twirling, and cutting across my field of vision. I felt awake, but knew I was unable to control my movement, I was as good as paralyzed.

Mesmerized by the dancing colors, I began to recognize shapes and figures, like a play drawn out by a three year old. I soon realized the colors and shapes were like a map, or blueprint, to a newfound past I had not previously know.

Quite simply, the patterns were knowledge.

techniques, forms, abilities, talents, experiences, and wisdom I had never encountered before, all settling into their places in my head.

With a snap, and a jarring blow, like I was hit in the head, I blinked slowly awake. The whole flock was gathered in a tight huddle around me, their faces grime in the dark light.

Eventually the excrutiating pain subsided, and I was left shaking on the ground of the alley.

"What the hell was that?" Fang said. The whole flock stared at me bewildered and confused.

"Nothing, nothing, but-" A new shock of pain wafted over me. "My rib-" I gasped, I-I think-" I keeled over, and vomited, holding my side in agony.

"Fang, you son of a-"

"Not now. He needs to get to a hospital."

An overwhelming sensation of hate clouded my conscience. I didn't know why, but for unknown reasons, I would go no where near a hospital. "NO. Anything but a-a- hospital," I choked out, "and I don't think I have to explain myself."

"We all know what that is like-Fang. The important thing is: Can you move?"

I wieghed my options. Walking would include extreme rotation of my hips and midsection.

"Absolutely not."

"Can we carry him?" Another person asked, I recognized probably as Iggy.

"Not entirely, between me and Max I supposed we could go up and out. You up to it?" Fang looked at me.

I thought about it and nodded. It too would be a struggle but I had to get help somewhere.

"A vertical takeoff?"Max asked Fang. "It could bring up new problems."

I thought it as Max said it. A vertical takeoff was hard enough, and supporting me would make it near impossible.

The flock unflurled their wings from slits in their shirts.

I had never seen wings as beautiful or as powerful as the flocks. Especially on humans.

I slowly and painful slid my shirt off, ripped two big gashes on either side, and slipped it back on.

Glancing at the flock, I noticed they had not taken off yet. Rather everyone except Iggy was staring, wide-eyed at me. I even noticed Nudge's mouth was hanging open a little.

"Duuude. That's so cool." A little boy commented, standing next to Angel. I guessed he was Gazzy.

I hadn't the slitest idea of what they were so dumbfounded for. A new wave of pain shook my from my trance. I didn't know what to expect when I opened my wings, but I surely didn't expect what I was about to see.

Sliding the feathers through the slits in my shirt I extended them to a full sixteen feet. I tried not to act suprised; I knew I should have been used to this by now. But it was the unofficial first time I'd laid eye upon my own wings.

And I certainly didn't expect to have wings that were a deep shade of red that slowly turned to a burnt orange near the tip of the feathers.

They stood next to me, Max on my right and Fang on my left. I put my arms around there shoulders, folding in my wings to get out of the way of theirs.

"On three okay?" She said smiling. "One."

"Two." Fang breathed.

They bent their knees, and with one quick, powerful downstroke, and surge through their legs, they burst upward

"THREE!"

I let out a yell, I don't know if it was of pain or of excitement, but it didn't matter, so we went up and away, the alley far below us.

They wavered a bit between strokes, having to support my wieght, and it was quite awkward before we built up enough momentum to begin gaining altitude.

The rest of the Flock was waiting for us, hovering above the buildings. Each of them silent, amazed at the events that had just transpired;

Who was this kid?

What were the chances of running into him?

and most importantly; Was he friend or foe?

My mind was now racing.

Where were they going to take me, if not a hospital? Who would treat a mutant?

I tried to keep concentrating on flying, but the pain in my side was a hinderence to every motion. It seemed as though I was falling with each upstroke.

"So where- ouch exactly- argh are we going?" I asked, catching my breath, while focusing on not getting nauseous. Each breath I took seemed to split my side in two.

"Dr. Valencia Martinez, my mom, she's a veteranarian. She'll know exactly what to do." Max answered quite proud of herself.

I could only hope.

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**geekyreader - Thanks, hope you enjoyed. Keep on reading and reviewing :)**


	3. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer: I own only Carter, and subsequent characters I designate as mine. James Patterson owns everything else. These events take place after Maximum Ride: The Final Warning.**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys, busy with school and stuff, but now its summer :) hope you enjoy!**

**_Chapter 2_**

_Sirocco_

_I watched warily, staring at my own stony reflection in the water of the lake, which stood undisturbed by the turbulent Wind. The lake was spread out before me, stretching to the bleak horizon._

_The gray sand disappeared under the blackness of the water, matching the undulating clouds in a seamless mirror. I saw the unforgiving Wind beat against the topography, disintegrating everything to a fine dust._

_Yet, I felt a strange calm in my being, as if I had constructed defenses against the deterioration commanded by the Wind. The desolation was terrifying, while also humbling all in the same instant. There was no sun, the only light thundered through the thick cloud layer, baking the soil to ash._

_And the Wind's scourge never let up._

_Suddenly the world turned around, and I saw the desolate desert of the wasteland spread out to the other horizon._

_There was a presence in this desert, a mutual drive shared by the land, or more like a common will to survive, against the harsh scouring by the Wind._

_This presence was not friendly, nor forthcoming. It had long since blocked out external invitation in hope of a lasting effort at self-preservation._

_Whispers shifted through the wind, through the grainy dust. Cutting lines in sparse earth that also shifted swirling, beneath my feet. While the movement of the Wind never let up, the tides of the palette of dust never yielded either. The Presence, commanding the sands, gathered itself up, the dust moving, swirling, dashed by the tortured Wind, set itself into a stony likeness. Filling the form of a Winged Colossus, the dust went, tumbling, gathering, and coagulating into such a monumental form that it blocked the Wind, fought a triumphant uphill battle against it, until standing far above me, the Colossus took shape, the stone smooth as chiseled limestone, the dust turned into statue._

_The Presence now inheriting itself into the monument, spoke. "It is apparent that what you will become is like a statue built on sand." The Colossus didn't move, but the Wind and the dust, flung high in the air made the solid image waver unsteadily in front of me._

_"Your power is baseless, and the Wind is strong, it is ever-blowing."_

_With a thundering crack, the statue knelt on one knee, its wings splayed out beside it._

_"Your resolve against the Wind will be continually tested, You will question those around you, your most trusted, your most feared. Even doubt will infiltrate your soul. A most well constructed fortress will you need, and the Question will be come singularly rendered upon you."_

_The Colossus, again shuddering lifted its staff as to use it for support, meaning to stand, or kneeling in fealty._

_"Will you let the Wind fill your wings? Or will it erode your very self, into the all consuming Dust, that fills this void."_

_The Wind howled through my head, increased to the likeness of a bloody screeching. The Colossus wavered once more, but it was not simply the image of the dusty air, this time the Wind was chipping away at the façade, the Colossus was melting away taken by the screaming wind, consumed by the false landscape. The clouds opened, and the disintegrating Titan was lifted into the heavens by a maelstrom of vapor._

_The Dust was choking, swirling around, creating a vacuum. I clamped by hands over my ears, shut my eyes, holding on to my defenses as I thought them so well constructed. Falling to my knees, I inhaled desperately knowing that this Dust would be my end._

_I looked up, not seeing far through the shades of gray dust, only for my eyes to meet Death, its hand outstretched in a welcoming invitation._

I awoke with jump. Still clinging to the dream, the haunting Presence and its message.

The sheets I were lain in were saturated with sweat, I turned over to look at my clock on my nightstand to see the time.

Neither my clock nor my nightstand were there.

I was not in my room.

I was not in my life.

I let out a choked breath, realizing for a terrible second that all the events of yesterday had not been some fantastic dream. What did I feel? Listlessness, some sort of emotional reverie. And a hint of ... regret?

I had never thought of my parents or friends I'd left behind. My Father was very distant, always kept himself busy with work, or work meetings, or work-related golf outings, almost taking every chance to remove himself from my life. My Mother had left long ago. I had watched her leave, remembering it vividly as if it was a day when part of me died. I think I was 5 maybe 6 years old, she left down the front walk of my childhood house, her one old traveling case in her left hand to the taxi waiting out front. I remember it this way because I had my face pressed against the screen of my front door, too scared to utter one word of "come back" or "miss you" My father was standing close behind me.

Putting the suitcase in the trunk of the taxi with her other baggage, she turned and flashed one look of spite to my father, and one look of longing toward me.

The look wasn't enough to keep her there.

I got out of bed quietly, maneuvering around Iggy, who was sleeping on the floor beside my bed. I had shared the guest bedroom with him and Fang for the night. Max, Nudge, and Angel shared Ella's room, and Gazzy had a room to himself - for obvious reasons. I nimbly skirted Fang's sleeping bag, hoping both their superior senses would not alert them to my night stalking.

I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

"Y_ou will question those around you, your most trusted, your most feared..."_

I splashed cold water on my face, letting the droplets run down my aching body. There was not one place that I didn't feel when I moved. The body-wide pain reassured me that I was still awake, still alive.

Whom did I fear? Whom did I trust? I had not had the chance to learn fear from trust in this new pretense, I had left all that I feared behind, my nightmares could not follow me here, could they?

_"A most well constructed fortress will you need..."_

I had always been a introverted individual, I had no problem blocking people out. But I had a feeling the desert presence was speaking of something I didn't see yet. And emotional fortress maybe? Who knew? It was all very enigmatic to me, more like something you would hear Yoda telling his young padawan in _Star Wars._

Something about its Yoda-esque nature told me that presence knew far more about 'me' than I knew myself.

The Question:

_"Will you let the Wind fill your wings?"_

What did that mean anyway? Wasn't Wind the enemy? I was starting to wish I never spoken so soon, what had I gotten myself into?

I shoved the Presence and its cryptic message to the back of my mind, blotted the water out of my eyes.

I stood in front of the mirror examining the bandages wrapped around my torso, tentatively figuring the line of thick gauzy pads that signed the incision where Dr. Martinez set two of the three broken ribs. My arm was in a cast too, in a sling to take pressure off my shoulder, which was also dislocated. If I remember right, Fang had plowed into my side, instantly snapping my arm, dislocating the shoulder joint and shattering two ribs, the third rib snapped when he threw me against the opposite wall of the alley.

Max told me later that Fang was pulling out of a full speed dive when he bulldozed me over, at speeds upward of 200 mph

I was beaten up pretty badly. I didn't blame Fang though; it was my own fault that the Flock was put on the defensive.

Had I not heard the infinitesimal sigh come from the other side of the door, I would have opened it and run smack into her.

Max was leaning against the doorframe, her eyes shut methodically as if in pensive thought. I would have thought her sleepwalking had her eye not snapped open when the door creaked.

"If I didn't know better I'd say only girls take that long in the bathroom."

When I didn't answer, her face softened.

"Something's bothering you."

"Just the pain, I haven't hurt like this since the days at the School." Which was the truth since my memory had taken me to experience every syringe, every electrical shock, and foodless, sleepless night in a dark, damp dog crate.

She eyed me a moment longer, most likely not believing me for a second, but she just pushed passed me and shut the door to the bathroom.

Rounding the hallway corner, I caught myself before letting out a small squeak. Angel was standing there, arms folded across her chest, raptor-like eyes scouring me, as if seeing through my soul.

"Suspicion runs rampant through this Flock. If you want our trust it won't come easily."

I stared at her warily before answering, "I didn't expect as much."

"And you shouldn't, but know that if anything should be known about you, it will come through me first. I'll be watching you closely."

With that she turned and disappeared through the dark bedroom door.

"Don't worry about her, she gets off on making other people paranoid," Max said passing from behind me.

"You'll have a chance to prove yourself soon enough, just make sure when you do its something…epic." She gave me a sly smile.

"If its any consolation, I'll give you some leeway since I took you out yesterday." Fang said, emerging from the darkness, the dim light of the hallway highlighting his fierce.

"Jeez, is everybody up?" Max wondered aloud, turning toward him.

"Yes" came several voices from the two different rooms.

"ugh," She sighed, "alright, everyone, come on, spontaneous Flock meeting."

There was a scramble of hushed footsteps as everyone piled into the boys' room. Max walked and stood at the window searching for signs in the night that something, anything could be wrong. The moonlight cast a long shadow down the room, throwing the rest of us into darkness. I let myself down on the bed easily, mindful of my broken condition. Angel stood leaning against the adjacent wall, casting me dubious glances every other minute. She was the only one of the Flock that completely terrified me.

"Our new… addition," she said motioning at me "has come at a surprise to all of us. And ever since declining the offer to attend the Lerner School, I've been thinking." She cleared her throat, the Flock all-listening intently.

"We have never really socialized with out-of-Flock people, mostly to keep ourselves alive, but I think this is an opportunity," she looked at me, then back to the Flock, "Carter has had different experiences than all of us, and I think he will offer a different perspective on our situation, which will be good for us all, think of it as a horizon-broadening opportunity."

"That is why I have decided to put it to a vote; all in favor of making Carter a probationary Flock member, until he has had a chance to prove to us that he fights the good fight." She finished.

Everyone nodded their approval.

"And I wouldn't dare barge in on this little pow-wow, would I?" Total said, trotting into the dark room, Akila following behind him.

"Of course not Total, how could we discount your vote." Max rolled her eyes.

"Apology accepted," he answered sincerely, "Just let me say that they'll let anyone into the Flock these days, but if we're all for broadening our horizons, Carter is the one to do it."

I became fairly self-conscious with that and aware that almost everyone, save Angel, was staring at me. I felt me cheeks flush.

"I have a question, I have a question!" Gazzy said standing.

Max looked at him, "Well, I didn't mean for this to turn into 'Story Time with Carter', but if he's feeling up to it…" She trailed off, looking at me.

"Yeah sure, anything you want to know." I got the hint.

"Why are your wings red? Why were you grafted with 3% avian DNA? Do you have any special abilities? Can you like, talk to birds? How did you escape the School…?" Gazzy asked rapid fire.

Max must have seen the bewildered look on my face because she stopped him, "Gazzy! Please, its 4:00 in the morning, one question at a time!"

"Oh, ok sorry," he apologized and shyly sat back down.

I cleared my throat. I was not good at the whole public speaking bit, especially with the whole Flock staring me down, including Angel this time.

"Let's see, my wings are red because I was actually grafted with two different avian genome sequences. One percent _C. Cardinalis_ and two percent _Diomedea exulans..."_

"The Common cardinal, and the Wandering Albatross." Angel clarified.

A nodded my gratitude, "From my file I learned that the goal was to combine the agility of a small bird to the power of the largest one."

"Where's the file now?" Iggy asked.

"Gone, destroyed, I was hiding out in an abandoned building up in Seattle, trying to lay low, when someone set the place on fire, burning the file and most everything I owned, to ash. I narrowly escaped myself.

"I don't have any special abilities that I know of, but if I have learned anything in my 16 years of life, it is that the most powerful abilites are those of an intelligent mind, and a convicted heart."

"Bravo!" Total exclaimed, "exactly the kind of horizon-broadening we need!"

I smiled, looking down, and continued. "The hardest part of my journey so far has been finding closure. What I know is that the School was merely a facade for a much larger project. Itex, the Uber-Director, the Institution for Higher Living, all just pawns in a game run by a group known as 'The Administration'."

"Wait, what?" Max said, "'The Administration?' How come we are just hearing of this?"

"Because we all play in their game. Its their world, and their rules. They operate by keeping each of their factions separate, idependent of one another. If their is no organization among the ranks, their can be no dissent, no dissent means stronger consolidation of power. They work through mediator corporations and organizations so that there is no paper trail. Their infrastructure is hierarchical, one company controls five others below it, and those five oversee five more."

"Are you telling us that after all these years we have just scratched the surface?" Fang asked, genuine concern crossing his face.

"Not even, you guys, the 'Notorious Flock' are at centerstage of a puppet show; you are being played by master puppeteers. By my investigation, I have narrowed down a teir 3 company that controls a central portion of The Administration's infrastructure. The company is called Novacore."

"Novacore." Nudge said to herself, "Sounds like a giant Chemical Corporation to me."

"In a way, it is, however, this is hardly the time to be breifing you guys on another mission, you have your own to fulfill."

"The whole 'Flock against Global Warming' is not nearly as important as what you just described." Max said sternly, "How do you fit into all of this?"

"When I escaped, I escaped with two others, one was a guy my age, his name was Ratchet, he said that he was part of what the whitecoats called "Generation 77" and that they would bring about a New Advent of Humanity. I didn't believe him at first, until I stole my file, and found that I was part of an experimental test group known as 'Seventh Column' which was defined as the 'precursor study to perfect all techiniques, in preparation for G-77' which assumed refered to Generation 77; what I was a lead-up for."

Max had her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. "I absolutley hate when we think we have it mostly figured out, only for someone to come a tell us we aren't even close."

Fang stood up, "How do we know you aren't making this up, or covering for the real bad guys? How do we know you're not one of them?"

Honestly I had no idea how I knew this myself, It was all in the new memory that flooded my persona in the alley yesterday. This new person that I was becoming was more and more mysterious to me with every passing moment. The Presence was wrong, the question was not 'Will you let the Wind fill your wings" The Question is 'Do you know who you are, what team you play on, and what you truly stand for?'

I was horrified because I couldn't answer any of these.

"He's not the bad guy, trust me I've read him like a book," Angel cut in, "I don't know about this 'Administration' but what I do know is that our misson has changed."

The whole Flock was silent.

"And there was one more thing," I said, my eyes growing wide, "all of this, what you guys knew, or thought you knew, is all coming to an end." I said, thoughts suddenly racing through my head, pulse climbing, heart beating in my ears. I rose to my feet

"I can't believe you guys overlooked such an important detail!"

My mind was becoming fuzzy, I hardly understood the words falling from my lips, but they had to know. Blackness was creeping up from all sides of my vision, I looked but could no longer focus on my hands or feet. I looked back up at the Flock but they were unresponsive. Max's face, fading into oblivion, her eyes troubled and questioning, A furrow creased her brow, realizing what was about to happen.

"How could you guys have missed it...?'

"how could you...

"...have missed...

...it."

I collapsed.

Blackout.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it, I'll update sooner because I have more time to write. Reviews and/or constructive criticisms are appreciated, Thanks!**

**Skyclaw**** - You wonder what 'would' happen to him or what 'will' ? Thanks for the Review, glad you liked it, I try to keep it original.**

**Maximum Ride is awesome89**** - me too! Thats why I chose this as my plot line, craziness makes for good storytelling. Thanks! **

**geekyreader1234**** - Sorry this chapter is really late! Hopefully it was worth it? Thanks for the review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - I own nothing but Carter.**

**Note - Sorry I haven't updated in a while, you know when you set a deadline and fly past it without writing a thing? Well...yeah, I don't do well with deadlines. Anyway hope you enjoy this latest installment, Reviews are valued so I know if its good/bad, or if I should just stop writing altogether :) I'll try to update every week. Let's say the next deadline is July 13th, will we make it?**

**Also, keep in mind that every nightmare Carter has has a hidden relevance to the story's plot. See if you can piece it together.**

**_Chapter 3_**

_The Exordium_

_The hallway is white. The industrial lighting is harsh in the narrow space._

_Doors line the corridor._

_One stands out among them. The Door stands at the end of the hallway on the left._

_The last door on the left._

_Unlike the other white doors this one is black, deteriorated, falling off its hinges._

_Also unlike the other doors this one has no handle. It is the only one with light coming from the other side._

_I glide slowly toward it. Movement doesn't feel like walking. It is like a ghostly presence moves me forward._

_The Hallway suddenly narrows, and shortens, and I am standing in front of the Black Door._

_The hallway, along with the other doors melt away, and I am left standing under a solitary light in front of the Door. The light behind the Door clamps shut._

_There is a scream, a gut-wrenching 'thud' and silence._

_A substance, something like Blood but dark crimson, black, seeps from the crack at the bottom of the doorframe. It pools at my feet, my image stares menacingly back at me in the reflective surface. It is metallic, like liquid lead._

_My eye catches the glint of leaking fluid. It is running from spider-cracks in the Door. The black of the door is streaked with the red liquid; it oozes from every fissure, running like thick oil._

_I am standing in a pool of blood, the redness is the only seeable color. It is bright in the gray and white of the hallway – rich against the blackness of the Door._

_I realize that the small space is filling with the sickening fluid. It is running up over my shoes, staining them a brilliant red._

_I wade to the Door, perhaps hoping to find higher ground. The dampness of the space is unnerving, the blood rising. The White walls around me start leaking, a droplet of the blood drips down on my forehead._

_The drops come more quickly, the walls run with streaks of red._

_Panic sets in._

_"Is someone there? Anybody? Please help me!"_

_I pound on the Door in exasperation. "Can anyone hear me!" My voice echoes around me. The blood floods around my waist._

_My hands are slick with blood, the ceiling is now spraying with it, like a warm shower of red._

_Once again I grasp the door, pounding harder. Desperation clouds my judgment._

_"Can anybody hear me! HEELP! PLEEASE."_

_Haunting laughter rings out. _

_I am genuinely afraid. Fear, the kind that strikes at the pit of your being, settles into my heart._

_I break down, tears flood my vision and fall, mixing with the rising tide of blood._

_With it pooling around by chest, I try one last time, throwing myself against the Door._

_The Door opens._

_The current of fluid lifts me off my feet, and drags me under, through the open door,_

_and down,_

_down,_

_Into the gaping mouth of Oblivion._

**When I came to, I remembered nothing. **I was laying on a hard bed, staring into a harsh industrial light.

My heart jumped, I didn't know why, but the unsettling feeling of deja-vu washed over me.

I looked around. I was in some sort of preparation room, the walls were all white accept for the blue curtain that was strung up to my right. There was an EKG machine tracking my heart rate. What was the most unnerving though, except for the incremental _beep _was the stark quite. My rushed breathing was the only other sound.

I unclipped the pulse monitor from my finger and tore the EKG lines off my chest. I pulled myself to an upright sitting position and tried to get my bearings. The room I was in was more like a wide hallway. It had hospital beds lining the one side, the wall adjacent to me was empty save for a small nurses station and crash cart.

I reached out and pulled the curtain back only to see more beds, and more EKG machines.

I was the only person in the room.

There were double doors at both ends of it, they both were reinforced with a metal plate, and had a small square window on the upper-mid section.

Above the double doors to my right there was a back-lit sign that read "Operating Room"

Slowly I slipped out of the bed, fixing the thin sheet of hospital gown that I was wearing.

I heard them before I saw them.

Suddenly the double doors at the far end of the hallway burst open. A team of doctors and nurses slid through, gathered around a stretcher, their bodies were blocking my view of the victim.

I jumped back to get out of their way, but they hardly seemed to notice me.

"I have no pulse!" One doctor yelled.

"Code Blue! Get that crash cart in here!" Called another. The whole mass of people slammed into the Operating Room doors at the other end of the hallway; they were gone.

Although I could still hear the faint hysterical calls of the dire situation in the O.R. the silence of the prep room resumed.

I slowly crept to the double doors and peered through the square window. Nurses were running around the room, back and forth between cabinet and patient. Doctors again crowded around the body lying stiff on the op. table. The EKG behind the team had flat lined.

Tentatively, on a hunch, I pushed the swinging doors wide open and stepped inside, still going unnoticed.

The whole surreal atmosphere was making me uneasy, and when the doctor stepped aside, I knew why.

The victim was me.

I was lying on that table motionless; about to be pronounced dead, yet I was here, I was witnessing my own trauma.

"Prepping the defib. Charging."

I watched the nurse, almost in slow-motion grab the paddles from the crash cart, rubbing them together, and holding them steady.

"Clear." Her voice called, becoming hollow and distant. I was still standing there, a figment of death.

She held the paddles against my rib cage and blasted 300 volts through my body.

_PPPPMPPHMMMHFFTT_

I grabbed my heart in agony. The jolt I felt threw me back against the double doors. I sucked in breath, choking.

"Again. Charging."

I looked up, my body still motionless, the EKG still static.

"Clear."

_PPPHMMMPHHFFFT_

I fell to my knees, keeling over on all fours, shaking violently. My vision shifted in and out.

"Again."

"Charging. Clear."

PPPPPPMMMMMMPFFFFHHHTT

My vision faded to a bright light.

_beep _/\ _ beep _/\ _ beep _/\ _ beep  
__ \/ \/ \/_

The industrial lighting was harsh in the narrow space_. _A blue curtain was strung to my left, and a nurse was to my right checking my vitals then scribbling on a thin handheld touch-tablet.

When she noticed I was awake she smiled. "Welcome back. You're lucky, you almost didn't make it."

I tried to push myself upright, but she held me back.

"Try and rest, you need it after what you've been through. I'll go get the doctor."

With that, she disappeared behind the curtain. My head was pounding and my thoughts scrabbled.

A moment later the doctor appeared, the nurse behind him.

"I see our trauma patient has held together nicely." He said, looking me over. "You know, just about two hours ago you were in labeled as in critical condition, but we have some of the finest doctors around."

He turned toward the nurse, "Go get me 15 mg I.V. of morphine, he'll be in pain shortly." The nurse disappeared. He shut the curtain behind her, and turned again toward me, his face contorted out of shape.

"Well, well, well, you almost cost us a major set back, Twenty-three. Butt we've got it all under control now." He smiled cynically. And, taking a syringe filled with unknown liquid, clamped down hard on my arm.

I shifted uncomfortably beneath his grip.

"Let's just make sure that your knowledge stays where it's supposed to." He said in a singsong voice, tapping my forehead. "We wouldn't want you to fall into any…" he paused choosing his words, "unfortunate harm, after all the progress we've made, would we?"

He pushed the syringe into the tube leading to my arm.

"Now you be a good boy and nothing will happen to your new friends." He warned, releasing his grip with an unfriendly squeeze. He disappeared.

My vision shifted once, then I was out – cold.

_Where was I? _

_Where were Max and the Flock?_

_Why was I here?_

_What was going on?_

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed, please review.**


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